Every holiday when our family gathers for dinner, we play a game called High / Low.

We go around the table, and each person shares the best moment of their year and the hardest one.

This Halloween, we had our substitute family Thanksgiving. My mother and her husband Jay flew in from Honolulu, Hawaii. Our family traveled from Paris, France, and we all met at my brother Derek's house in Pennsylvania, along with his wife Erica and their three daughters.

Our lows ranged from physical injuries to work disappointments and the loss of a friendship. But our high was almost unanimous: simply getting to spend time together, surrounded by love and gratitude.

The highs made us cheer. The lows pulled us closer.

By dessert, my mother had us all sobbing into our pumpkin pie.

And it reminded me of something I teach every author I work with:

Your story needs both ups and downs.

The highs make readers cheer. The lows make them connect.

When you share your greatest achievements, readers celebrate with you. They see what you've accomplished and what is possible.

But when you have the courage to share your hardest moments, something different happens. Readers begin to understand you. They recognize parts of their own experiences in yours. They feel connected to the person behind the story.

If you leave out either side, your story loses its emotional power.

A story filled only with victories can feel distant. One filled only with hardship can feel incomplete.

The contrast between the two is what makes a life story compelling.

Turn your life experiences into stories

This is one of the ideas that inspired me to create the Story Cure Card Deck, which launches today.

It's a free collection of 52 digital cards, divided into four suits:

• The Why: Why your story matters and who needs to hear it.

• Movie Moments: The vivid scenes only you can tell.

• The Craft: What your life and work have taught you.

• Structure: How to shape everything into a story that moves.

Each card gives you a prompt to help uncover the experiences, lessons, and moments that have shaped your life.

For example, the Jack of Movie Moments asks you to revisit your worst embarrassment. What happened? How did other people react? What do you make of it now?

The Ten of Movie Moments takes you in the opposite direction: When did you go all-in and get the best possible outcome? What did you risk?

Both kinds of questions matter.

Why storytelling should feel like a game

I created this deck because I've noticed something in my work with authors: the best stories often emerge when we're not thinking about writing.

They come out over dinner, during conversations with friends, or when someone asks a question that makes us pause and remember.

Calling something a writing assignment can feel intimidating. Pulling a card and answering a question feels different.

It turns the process into a game.

If you're writing a book, try pulling one card each day. In less than two months, you'll have a collection of experiences and ideas that can become the foundation of your story.

And with the holidays approaching, bring the deck to your next family gathering. Draw a card before dinner or after dessert. Ask your mother, your son, or your oldest friend about a moment they've never shared with you.

Then listen. You may hear a story you've never heard before.

Try this week's storytelling exercise

Open the deck and pull a card.

Answer it on three levels:

1. Say it straight: Describe what happened as if you were telling a friend.

2. Dive deeper: Explore what your answer reveals about who you are and what you believe.

3. Find your Movie Moment™: Identify the pivotal scene that brought transformation.

Write with pen and paper, or speak your answer aloud to a friend. Don't worry about making it perfect. Start with the honest version.

You might begin to notice themes and patterns emerging across your answers. Those connections can help you find the structure of your story.

Get your free Story Cure Card Deck

Your life is full of stories worth telling. Sometimes, all you need is the right question to bring them to the surface.

Get your free Story Cure Card Deck here: https://www.writeyourbestsellingbook.com/story-cure-deck?cid=6f8eff01-be9d-45bb-b0b3-e007e2c7c782

Prefer cards you can hold? A printed edition is in the works. Join the waitlist through the link below the digital deck.

And I'd love to hear from you:

What's your high and low of this year?

Because the highs make us cheer, but sometimes the lows are what bring us closer.

Aloha,
MeiMei